Loved: The overall vibes in this book were great - it's swampy, creepy and cultish. Very similar in style to A Flicker in the Dark! I also loved it a story when you hear about the villian right from the start and then the reader works backwards.

Liked: I enjoyed the morally gray characters and the dual timelines. I was guessing through a good majority of the book about how things would play out! And I will say that the ending leaves your jaw dropped.

Lukewarm: There is a number of Twilight references and a bit of related subplot. As someone who hasn't read that book, that element was lost on me. Overall, I'm not the target reader for that portion so take this review with that in mind.

I’ve seen this ALL OVER booksta with raving reviews.. unfortunately I really didn’t enjoy this one 🫢 It had the atmospheric, small town setting, the obsessive, dark romance, lots of secrets + an explosive ending, and the plot was undeniably intriguing.. I should have loved this! BUT the focus on the religious cult-like town was not my cup of tea, I found the pacing very slow and I just had no desire to keep listening. It gave massive WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING + A FLICKER IN THE DARK vibes, both of which I found on the slower side, so if you enjoyed these, you’ll probably love this!

[𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧 + 𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣. 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 @𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 (𝙄𝙂), 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙝.] — 𝑬𝒇𝒇𝒚 @𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 🦇

Midnight Is The Darkest Hour will take you on a journey within Bottom Springs, Louisiana, a small but religiously zealous town with something evil lurking within. Ruth, the pastor's daughter has never felt like she fit in as she tries her hardest to conform to her father's strict guidelines. Her unlikely friendship with Everett, a town outcast is her only lifeline to her true self. And he is her lifeline in more ways than one. When a murder is uncovered, Ruth knows time is running out for her and Everett unless they can uncover and reveal the true evilness of the town.
There was a bit too much farfetchedness in this one for me. It was part mystical and almost fantasy trying to include almost every trigger. Warning if you haven't read Twilight - there are a lot of references (to the point of being distracting) and even spoilers almost giving the feel of a YA read but with topics much too heavy for that genre. I read a review that said to be sure to read the author's note but that wasn't part of the audiobook. Perhaps that would have made a difference in my opinion. I am definitely in the minority of not loving this one.
Narrated by SarahWelborn, who did a wonderful job evoking the emotion of the book with her voice.

I really wanted to love this book, as 'In My Dreams I Hold a Knife' was easily a 5 star read for me, but this just fell flat. The premise was intriguing, however, the book was actually quite boring. The main character was all over the place, and the repetitive references to 'Twilight' were annoying. The back and forth timelines were also harder to follow, and I had to keep going back to see what year the chaper was in. The one thing that I did enjoy about this book was the descriptions of the surroundings/southern vibe. I also thought the ending was pretty weak.

4/5 stars

Thank you Netgalley and Tantor Audio for the advanced listening copy.

Ruth Coriner is known for two things: being the preacher's daughter and being a "wisp" of a girl. In the small town of Bottom Springs, Louisiana, word travels fast. When a skull is pulled from the depths of the local swamp, the town is up in arms with theories and pointing fingers every which way. Ruth and her best friend, Everett, are certainly not immune to the accusations and, with a penchant for the evil, the accusations may not be so wrong. Told between present day and Ruth's teenage years, we're enchanted by the bookish world Ruth and Everett live in, even when things turn dark.

First of all, narrator Sarah Welborn did an amazing job. She took this book from good on the page to GREAT and created such an atmosphere for me to pull mental images from. Picture a foggy wheat field with a dilapidated town near by, full of people dressed conservatively and talking behind each other's backs. That's what I pictured throughout this entire book, and Sarah's voice fit right in.

The story itself was great. This took me a second to get into just because it's so different from all of Winstead's other work, but that's what makes her so talented as an author! Once I stopped mentally comparing it to IMDIHAK and THE LAST HOUSEWIFE, I was hooked. Ruth's character spoke to me from the start and her friendship with Everett was so intriguing. I was infuriated and infatuated at different points in this book and I found myself unable to stop listening; I HAD to know where it was going. While I did predict the main twist early on, I doubted myself the whole way there and was still quite shocked by a few different moments throughout the book. Winstead's writing was poetic and gothic and made me feel like I was in a documentary, rather than an audiobook.

The ending was WILD, I actually went back twice to listen again because I thought I had missed something!! Fantastic way to close out the book. I can't wait to attend the book tour and hear Ashley talk about this in person!

Religious trauma? Check. Atmospheric thriller? Check. Twilight references? Check.

Midnight Is The Darkest Hour has a great blend of both religion and occult. The story follows Ruth, daughter of Bottom Spring’s beloved Pastor who struggles to break away from her parents iron hand grasp. Her best friend Everett, the social outcast of the town, and herself try to solve the secret’s the town holds.

Ruth and Everett were my absolute favorite part of the book. Their interactions were great and Everett was always so sweet to her. For the most part too I didn’t mind Ruth’s obsession with Twilight. I have a love/hate relationship with Twilight so I didn’t mind the constant references. There was only one time that I cringed because of it and it was during a conversation Ruth and Everett have near the end of the book.

A town’s secrets being unraveled by a Bonnie and Clyde duo was perfect for spooky October. I loved the Louisiana setting and the lore the town had over the vampiric Low Man.

I wish it wouldn’t have jumped from past to present so much. There were times I was getting frustrated at the time jump when it felt more interesting and crucial to be in the present.

It was a good slow burn thriller that caught me off guard multiple times. A religious town vs the occult is always a favorite combo of mine. The author interweaves these two quite well and also adds mystery to both Ruth and Everett.

The cover art for this book was amazing! Certain to draw the attention of potential readers!

This work was filled with religious zealots and people with a morally questionable character. There were twists and turns, but the ending was unmemorable. This was my second Winstead work that I was on the fence about, so I likely won't read her again.

Thanks to RB Media for an advanced version of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This gave me major Where the Crawdads Sing vibes, but so so much better. Craziest ending EVER! The narration was one of the best that I listened to this year. Easy five stars for story and narration

I’ve found a new favourite author!

Set in Bottom Springs, a small Louisiana town is haunted by a killer known as The Low Man. Is it a mystical vampire creature or is one of them?

Ruth is the town librarian and the daughter of strict, overbearing Pastor James Cornier of the Holy Fire Baptist Church.

The town is thrown into chaos when a skull is found in the swamp, surrounded by ominous, carved mystical symbols.

Seventeen years earlier, Ruth befriends Everett. A boy that the town and her father judge as from the wrong side of the tracks. An unlikely friendship develops between the two as they both share a dark secret.

Alternating between past and present timelines, we follow Ruth and Everett’s stories as they try to uncover both truths while attempting to hide their own.

Combining romance, small town narrow mindedness, prejudice, biblical female oppression, fundamentalism and the occult - this incredibly atmospheric and twisty thriller is a tour de force!

Many thanks to @librofm and @netgalley for advanced reader/ALC copies 🎧💌
Ps, the narration of the audiobook by Sarah Welborn was fantastic 🤩

Rating 4.5
I have come to terms with the fact that im an immersion reader, and I prefer this style of reading for comprehension reasons, but honestly, I enjoy stories better this way. So I waited for this audiobook, and I liked this Winstead story better than her last. Yes, to the suspenseful plot and the small-town murders. I deducted half a star because Ruth annoyed me, and I wanted more page time with Everett. Also, the story felt YAish at times, and IDK if it was because of the mention of one of the most popular YA vampire stories, but we could have left Twilight at the door.

This Southern gothic horror story has vibes of its oft-referenced Twilight, plus Where the Crawdads Sing and M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village, with a dash of Dexter. Released a week ago on October 3, it’s here just in time for spooky reading season. There’s hyperbole in the characterization of the small town and Southern Baptist culture, but so many elements are recognizable, making the backdrop compelling. I found this book gripping and creepy, and I had to know what happened next.

Part of the fabric of this novel is the way an idea can take off within a group of people, leading to collective mania. The podcast Tiffany Dover is Dead is an interesting nonfictional listen along.

Thank you to @netgalley and @tantoraudio for the advance copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

I'm definitely in the minority because this book has good reviews but I just could not connect with this story. It was hard to get past the poor way Ruth's father treated her and this clouded my view of the overall story, fueling my dislike for anything about the town or its people. Everett and Ruth were likeable, but with the story jumping around in time it became hard for me to keep track of exactly what was happening. The ending left me flabbergasted and not in a good way. I'm giving this book 2 stars because any book that makes me feel so strongly about the characters, even if it is dislike, is a well written book.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the audio book version in exchange for my honest review. I liked the narrator's voices for each of the characters, however I found her cadence to be off and I had to speed up the book quite a bit in order to get past it.

As a person who grew up in a non-religious household, I found this book to be so interesting! The hypocrisy of the town members really had me mad, so I had to keep on reading to see if they got what was coming to them haha! I totally ate this book up. It incorporated all of the things that I love in a thriller: small town secrets, murder, plot twists, and suspense. It definitely is a dark book about religion and community, and also the need to please our parents while trying to find ourselves. I was rooting for Ruth throughout the entire book. I just wanted her to find love, happiness and more great books. The twilight references were a nice addition.

3.5 ⭐ rounded up

There is so much buzz about this book, and I guess I can see why people love it. For me, it had major potential to be a 5 star read, but the constant "vampiric" qualities about Everett just bugged me. I feel like it took away from the real grit of their Bonnie and Clyde relationship and how they take things into their own hands. Also, I felt the first half of the book was very slow to set up the overall story.

I still enjoyed it, but probably won't read it again or have it be a book I recommend everyone should read.

*Thank you @bookmarked @librofm and Tantor Audio for the galley and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

This atmospheric eerie gothic thriller is the perfect spooky season read! Set in Bottom Springs, Louisiana, a small-town run by too many bad men led by the cultish pastor of a local fire-and-brimstone Baptist preacher. The preacher's daughter, Ruth, is the protagonist and narrator of the story. A skull is discovered in the swamp triggering a local investigation into past crimes. The lead suspect is Ruth's long-time childhood friend, Everett, the son of the local town drunk who has never stepped foot in the church. Ruth and Everett partner to do their own sleuthing to clear Everett's name and root out the true evil lurking in the town. Told through dual timeline past flashbacks, this thriller is full of murder, obsessive love, and the lengths people will go to protect their own stories or reputations. The suspense is propulsive and I stayed up way too late to reach the conclusion! And that ending! This is a book you will need a partner to discuss, making it a perfect buddy read or book club selection. I really enjoyed narrator Sarah Welborn's portrayal or Ruth; her syrupy Southern drawl was spot on and added a naivety to Ruth's perspective that was perfect to her story-arc. This book is an incredible reminder of the "monstrous work of being a girl in this world" and I highly recommend you head trigger warnings for those with religious trauma, child abuse, and sexual assault.

Thank you to NetGalley & Tantor Audio for my advanced audiobook copy in exchange for my review.

Midnight is the Darkest Hour was just the southern gothic novel that I needed this fall. It was full of twists and turns that I did not see coming. I loved it.

I received the audiobook early from Netgalley, and as much as I loved this book, I felt that the narrator did not fit the vibes of the book.

This book is spooky yet interesting, eerie yet intriguing.
You get caught up in the story and keep reading past bedtime because you just need to know.
The book/story was quite good, but the ending left me saying "uh? that's it?! After all that??" Made me frustrated and took away from the experience of the rest.

One of my favorite things about Ashley Winstead is that she can write a damn good thriller - one that really creeps you out and makes you wonder why you keep reading late at night when you are an absolute scaredy cat.

A southern small town that is basically being run as a religious cult that is hiding some deep dark secrets - every time I thought I knew what the twist was, I realized just how wrong that I was. Highly recommend that you pay attention to the trigger warnings for this one - especially if religious trauma is a hard one for you.

I had a very love/hate relationship with the main characters - Ruth & Everett (Everett was a stronger hate because I just didn't trust him). I was quite shocked by the ending but also really loved it.

4.5 stars - I did deduct half a star because I didn't love the southern accent of Sarah Welborn, the narrator. It felt way too fake for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tantor Audio, and LibroFM for the ALC! All opinions are my own.

This book is different from Ashley Winstead’s other books. I don’t even know how to accurately describe or review it without giving anything away. I loved the Southern setting and how I had no idea where the story was going. The main character, Ruth, is naive but strong. I grew up going to religious schools and knew many incredibly devout Christians, but in southern CA. Religion in the South is a whole different thing. The story is so unique and that ending…wow.

I loved being in Ashley Winstead’s world again and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

*3.5 Stars*

This book was a crazy ride! I really enjoyed the dark atmosphere around this book and was interested about the extreme religion that was imbedded in this small town. I was captivated in the beginning of this book and enjoyed learning about Ruth and Everett's relationship. However, I started losing interest about halfway through this book and sped up the speed to listen to the conclusion. That ending definitely made it up to me! I am still thinking about that conclusion.

I also give props for the Twilight fanfic throughout this book.

Midnight Is the Darkest Hour is out now!

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of Midnight Is the Darkest Hour.